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    <h1 align="CENTER">Module mod_digest</h1>

    <p>This module provides for user authentication using MD5
    Digest Authentication.</p>

    <p><a href="module-dict.html#Status"
    rel="Help"><strong>Status:</strong></a> Extension<br />
     <a href="module-dict.html#SourceFile"
    rel="Help"><strong>Source File:</strong></a> mod_digest.c<br />
     <a href="module-dict.html#ModuleIdentifier"
    rel="Help"><strong>Module Identifier:</strong></a>
    digest_module<br />
     <a href="module-dict.html#Compatibility"
    rel="Help"><strong>Compatibility:</strong></a> Available in
    Apache 1.1 and later.</p>

    <h2>Summary</h2>

    <p>This module implements an older version of the MD5 Digest
    Authentication specification.  While suitable for most modern
    browsers, mod_digest is known to not work with Microsoft
    Internet Explorer. Please see <a
    href="mod_auth_digest.html">mod_auth_digest</a> for a module
    which implements the most recent version of the standard
    and does not suffer from the same limitations as mod_digest.</p>

    <h2>Directives</h2>

    <ul>
      <li><a href="#authdigestfile">AuthDigestFile</a></li>
    </ul>

    <h2>Using Digest Authentication</h2>

    <p>Using MD5 Digest authentication is very simple. Simply set
    up authentication normally. However, use "AuthType Digest" and
    "AuthDigestFile" instead of the normal "AuthType Basic" and
    "AuthUserFile".</p>

    <p>As to make sure that replay is not possible across
    sections of the site, or across sites (assuming a realm,
    userid and password are valid in that wider context) a
    secret nonce prefix can be configured with the
    core directive <a href="core.html#AuthDigestRealmSeed">AuthDigestRealmSeed</a>.
    </p>
    <p>If none if configured a sensible, but not particular
    secure, default is used. When used in load balancing
    situations the prefix should be shared across servers.
    </p>
    <p>The experimental <a href="mod_auth_digest.html">mod_auth_digest</a>
    module offers a number of additinal protections against replay.
    </p>

    <p>Everything else should remain the same.</p>

    <p>MD5 authentication provides a more secure password system,
    but only works with supporting browsers. As of this writing
    (December 2003) most major browsers, including 
    <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/">MS Internet Explorer</a>,
    <a href="http://www.opera.com/">Opera</a>,
    <a href="http://www.netscape.com/">Netscape</a>,
    <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/">Mozilla</a>, and
    <a href="http://www.w3.org/Amaya/">Amaya</a>,
    support the Digest authentication scheme.  However, of this list
    MS Internet Explorer is known to be incompatable with the
    older digest authentication format supported by this module.
    Therefore, we do not recommend using this module on a large
    Internet site. However, for personal and intra-net use, where
    browser users can be controlled, it is ideal.</p>

    <p>See also <a href="mod_auth_digest.html">mod_auth_digest</a>,
    which is an updated version of this module, in order to determine
    whether you want to use that module instead. In either case, if
    you are using one, you should not use the other, as they share
    some of the same configuration directives.</p>
    <hr />

    <h2><a id="authdigestfile"
    name="authdigestfile">AuthDigestFile</a> directive</h2>
    <a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax"
    rel="Help"><strong>Syntax:</strong></a> AuthDigestFile
    <em>filename</em><br />
     <a href="directive-dict.html#Context"
    rel="Help"><strong>Context:</strong></a> directory,
    .htaccess<br />
     <a href="directive-dict.html#Override"
    rel="Help"><strong>Override:</strong></a> AuthConfig<br />
     <a href="directive-dict.html#Status"
    rel="Help"><strong>Status:</strong></a> Base<br />
     <a href="directive-dict.html#Module"
    rel="Help"><strong>Module:</strong></a> mod_digest 

    <p>The AuthDigestFile directive sets the name of a textual file
    containing the list of users and encoded passwords for digest
    authentication. <em>Filename</em> is the absolute path to the
    user file.</p>

    <p>Example</p>

    <code>AuthDigestFile /usr/local/apache/passwords/passwords.digest</code>

    <p>The digest file uses a special format. Files in this format
    can be created using the "<a href="../programs/htdigest.html">htdigest</a>"
    utility found in the support/ subdirectory of the Apache distribution.</p>

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